Happiness is a Glue Gun
Oct 5th, 2009 by Naama
When first encountered with the sand Mandala many people think it’s the picture of madness. Coming from a world full of term like “goal oriented” and “gross profit margin” we’re almost outraged to see people working for weeks on an intricate masterpiece only to have it ceremoniously destroyed as soon as it’s completed.
The sand Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition in which a group of monks creates a concentric diagram of colored sand. The Mandala is a microcosm representing various divine powers at work in the universe, and as such usually depicts figures of deities, Buddhist symbolism and structure. The process is in fact a form of meditation, similar to the idea of repeating a mantra. As soon as it’s completed the Mandala is destroyed in a specific order, the sand gets placed in a jar and scattered in a river.
This meditation on impermanence might seem cruel or pointless, but perhaps that just shows how unwilling we are to accept the temporariness of life. The obvious example that comes to mind is the recent financial crisis; the hardest part to grasp was how billions of dollars just disappeared. People’s life savings, pension plans and charity funds vanished into thin air.
In this video from Vat19.com you can learn how to start making your own sand Mandala. If you’re not quite ready to destroy your work, don’t worry, just use glue.
Chenrezig Sand Mandala created and exhibited at the House of Commons for the visit of the Dalai Lama on 21 May 2008.
